This one is actually on time!! (hahaha I wrote this right after my birthday in March and then shelved it until now WOOPS) A few aren't here because I haven't completed them yet, but I've watched everything I really wanted to. (Despite the title I actually liked a lot more than usual this season so here's to an overwhelmingly positive installment!! This will be the last one of these I do)
3-gatsu no Lion, Balancing
Probably my sole criticism of 3-gatsu no Lion's first season was that it ran into some trouble juggling its dual elements - shogi and life. It appears the good folks over at Studio Shaft got a hold of my tapes from the NSA, and are out to tick every box I have. Season 2 does a marvelous job not only of balancing the world of pro shogi with the world of the Kawamoto household and world outside it, but of intermingling the two - a trend that from the manga looks to continue into Season 3 (literally every finger I have is crossed). With an improved harmony between the peaceful life of March Town and the competitive realm of pro shogi, each are able to shine brighter and elevate 3-gatsu to my only non-Monogatari 11.
Umino Chika is at her best exploring human emotions and the ripples they create. The emotional maturity with which the show handles seriously tough issues like bullying is remarkably satisfying and refreshing. The shogi gets better and better - Ootsuka Houchuu as Yanagihara is soo not fair - and we get to learn more about the people surrounding Rei and how he can learn from them. It's one of the more compelling portraits of humanity I've seen, and is a must. watch. 11/10
Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho, letting the onion ninjas loose (SPOILERY)
I think Yorimoi is over-hyped. The drama is done well but (in my opinion) overdone, with a few brilliant moments shining against a backdrop of frankly mediocre drama. Madhouse, in a distinctively non-Madhouse fashion, made some uncharacteristic slip-ups. I can only assume the manpower needed to fix character modeling mistakes was being used to conceal a group of onion-cutting ninjas somewhere in my apartment. I KNOW THEY WERE THERE OK I DON'T NORMALLY CRY THAT MUCH. In episode 12, Shirase opens her mom's laptop and opens the mail app. One after the other, her emails from the last 3 years cascade across the screen as she and I break out sobbing uncontrollably. That moment, the culmination of 12 episodes and over 3 years of in-world time, hits like a freight train. We knew, we knew there was basically no chance, but we still held out hope. The emails were a period, a punctual and abrupt answer to question: is my mom still alive? Seriously one of the most moving scenes I've ever seen. It's hard to score this show, honestly - I would score the first two episodes a solid 7, every episode from then until they leave Japan is a 4, and the last 4 episodes are 9s, with the exception of episode 12 which is a 10. Overall: Strong 7.
Shaft, Passing the Eye Test (SPOILERY)
I used to think Tohsaka Rin was pretty cute, but WOW Shaft elevates her to another level entirely. I'm not and never have been a wild Fate fanboy, but it's kind of impossible not to have some kind of encounter with the franchise in today's spinoff-saturated weebiverse. The ufotable characters looked good and were rarely off-model, but they lacked a certain moe to them that is captured and then some in Takiyama Masaaki's Tohsaka and Saber designs. Sakura and Shinji are also much improved, but some of the Moon-exclusive characters - Sir Francis Drake, Robin Hood - lack a clear identity in their features. Hakuno is just average. I would get a Fate/Extra poster for the express purpose of owning imagery of Toe Sucker in leather and a garterbelt. (<- this isn't weird or creepy I promise please don't call the police ha ha)
While I would not call Fate/Extra: Last Encore an exceptionally good show, it is a good watch, mostly made possible by great visuals from Shaft - ticking my boxes as always. (That Hajime Ueda cut tho.) The ED is fucking glorious, and although it's not even finished yet it was one of the few shows I enjoyed watching week-to-week. Outside of the visuals, the story it adapts is mediocre at best with some good bits mixed in: the fall of Nero, the idea of the Moon Cell deteriorating, the concept of identity. In the end Shaft propels a fairly clunky property to relative success. Solid 7.
Poputepipikku, Getting Weird
I don't know if anybody really knew what to expect from a Poputepipikku anime. Which is I guess what we got - something completely unexpected and unpredictable. Not every joke lands and sometimes it's just strange, but every gag is delivered in such a frank and piercing way that it's hard not to find yourself laughing along. The creators really had fun with it - going as far as to air episode 8 in 8 consecutive timeslots - and there's more envelope-pushing than has become standard in anime, a welcome presence in a genre that relies more than any on keeping things fresh. The humor is actually deepened by the second playback of each episode, and the creators play around with so much that its hard not to laugh along, or at least be impressed. STRONG 6
Koi wa Ameagari no You Ni, closing the book (SPOILERY)
Eternity is a nice idea. But just ask Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-under-blade - it's not all its cracked up to be. Things that go on forever without end lack weight and potency, especially when it comes to phases of your life. There's something to be said for nostalgia, but there comes a time when one must start a new chapter and close the book on the previous one. Moving forward is a must. Koi wa Ameagari no You Ni gets this perfectly - Akira's love for the manager must eventually come to an end, and she returns to the track. It's a remarkably mature way to handle what honestly could have been a sticky situation for any romance, and it dots the i on an overall well-crafted slice of youth. Solid 6
Takagi-san, a broken record
Have you ever started watching a new episode, only to double back to nyaa because you thought you downloaded last week's episode, only to realize that yes, indeed, you're watching this week's episode, it's just the same shit over and over?
This is the experience of watching Takagi-san. I dropped the manga for the same reason, and while the anime does a better job of trying to keep things interesting when every episode is the same. damn. thing. If you are the type of person who enjoyed the Endless Eight then by all means you will like this show, but anyone else is encouraged to stay away.
J.C. Staff, knowing their strengths
Teruhashi Kokomi is pretty much the only reason I care about Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan anymore. Aso Shuichi does not seem to understand this. Every chapter is a new character, someone not named Kokomi. I don't care about Toritsuka! At all!
J.C. Staff understands this. For the short period that I was caught up on the anime and the manga simultaneously, I would take a break from digging through the manga for anything involving Kokomi to have her thrust in my face (not literally enough, to my dismay) by J.C. Staff for at least 10 minutes a week. SOMEONE GETS IT
A cute girls show, getting you outside?
Yuru Camp is good. You should really watch it.
THAT'S ALL FOLKS
Comments